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How do true seals move across land?
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seal
Crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophagus).
True seals (family Phocidae) have anatomical limitations that distinguish them from eared seals. Because their hind flippers cannot rotate forward under their bodies, they are unable to walk on land using all four limbs.12
Instead, when moving onshore, true seals are forced to propel themselves by wriggling on their bellies or pulling themselves forward with their front limbs. This movement is often compared to the motion of a caterpillar.12